Cotton gin equipment is expensive—there’s no getting around that. As a cotton farmer, you probably would like to extend the life of your cotton gin as long as possible. The best way to do this is by performing regular maintenance on your cotton gin parts in Lubbock, TX to keep everything running smoothly for years to come.

Generally, cotton gins are operated for about three or four months out of every year. This means you have eight extra months to make any necessary repairs and ensure the gin will be ready come harvest time.

While you should take the time to look at all elements of your cotton gin equipment to make sure it is working as it should, there are some parts that might require a little more attention than others. The press is particularly expensive, and yet it also happens to be the most neglected part of the machine, because it does not get broken nearly as often as other parts.

Presses deal with the most stress of any part in a cotton gin every single year. While they cause farmers the fewest headaches, there tends to be a very clear “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” mentality associated with the press. This is understandable—repairs to the press tend to be expensive and difficult to make. But that doesn’t mean it’s a part that should be entirely ignored.

Watching the press

Many cotton gin experts have actually seen a rise in press failures in recent years, just because there has been a lack of routine maintenance. OSHA published a relatively recent safety alert regarding cotton gin press strain rods. However, there are more parts of presses that can fail. Some other examples of common failures include electrical problems, hydraulic leaks, issues with limit switches and programming and other problems.

So what types of maintenance can help you keep your cotton gin press in great condition? It really depends on the extent to which you use your gin press, the kind of equipment you have and how well you have kept up with regular maintenance in the past.

The best step to take to determine your maintenance needs is to have a professional cotton gin service technician come out and perform yearly or periodic inspections of your equipment. Because every ginner’s circumstances are different, so too will be their maintenance needs, so an inspector can tell you during this appointment what steps will be necessary to keep the press operating at optimal levels.

The methods that must be followed to make the necessary repairs can differ from machine to machine as well. The way you tighten strain rods or adjust the height pressures in the presses, for example, will vary depending on the type and size of the machine.

If you have not made any appointments for maintenance to your cotton gin parts in Lubbock, TX recently, we highly recommend you make it a point to do so this year before the harvest season begins. Contact M.B. McKee Company, Inc. for more information.